Sometimes. I really hate it when there is no wind, or there is not a wet ground to slip in without sounding like a bag of chips and pushing deer out before Im set up. I kinda get into a mode of heightened awareness. Its uncanny. I focus on little things and sometimes focus too much that cause me to make mistakes. Im working on not getting myself worked up so much when I get in and set up. Fred Bear said once, "Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt, and for the forest and fields you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person".

The woods are the last place I feel paranoid. Now driving or walking around in the city is another story. There I know there are things and people that can harm me. Not so in the woods, or at least an Illinois woods.

I sometimes do as well. Not like paranoid that im going to get attacked from something or anything like that, but walking in the woods in the pitch black your mind can play tricks on you and there is sometimes that feeling in the back of my mind that there is something out there more powerful than me. Having a 30-06 with me gives me a bit of comfort though I love every minute I spend in the woods though.

Only in the evening. I never go in super early i like a little daylight one place i hunt has a really nice valley that needs time in the morning for the deer to move out to the fields. but sometimes at night when the woods are getting active and it`s a no moon night I do not feel superior to nature. Too many coyotes, and now JPH tells me a cougar is closer than i`d like sheesh!

Despite being a fairly big guy, I still feel un-easy when I walk to my stand or spot of hunting while its still dark. I try to time it just right so as soon as I sit down, the sun starts coming up, but I am just not too fond of being out in the woods by myself when it is pitch black out. I am ok once I am seated and ready for the hunt. I think it is more of the fear of getting spooked than it is of actually being scared of the woods - if that makes sense.

Paranoid might be a little strong, but most certainly my awareness is heightened. One of the properties that I hunt is an urban area. Some of the people that live around there let their dogs run free at times. One pair is a pit bull and a german shepherd that feel that it's their woods. Since then we both carry 38's...a crossbow is not much of a weapon with dogs. They have made morning hunts interesting, to say the least.I do not want to shoot someone's pet, but I'm not going to let a dog bite me either. In the woods, there are definitely things that go "bump in the night".

I don't know if it is being paranoid or just excited but when I walk to my stand in the morning my stomach is always in knots. I think it is a combonation of several things. The excitement and anticipation of what will happen on the hunt, being completely on edge just waiting for a deer to blow somewhere in the darkness. I usually walk in without a flashlight when I can, which I suppose even adds to the experience. It is definately a feeling like no other, thats for sure.

My pursuit of a buck of a lifetime is much like the Chicago Cubs pursuit of a World Series...the season ends with a "wait til next year"